Human service legislation on the back burner

Dana Heupel

Wednesday

May 23, 2007 at 12:01 AMMay 23, 2007 at 11:23 PM

SPRINGFIELD -- With the state budget, electric rate relief, education reform and universal health insurance driving the agenda during the final days of the General Assembly’s spring session, human services issues may be occupying the back seat.

By DANA HEUPEL

STATE CAPITOL BUREAU

SPRINGFIELD -- With the state budget, electric rate relief, education reform and universal health insurance driving the agenda during the final days of the General Assembly’s spring session, human services issues may be occupying the back seat.

Among legislation still to be decided before the scheduled May 31 adjournment are driver’s certificates for illegal immigrants, civil unions for same-sex couples, vaccinations to fight the human papilloma virus, money for stem cell research and raises for workers and agencies that serve the developmentally disabled.

“We think human services is right up there with health care and education,” said Tony Paulauski, executive director of the ARC of Illinois, which advocates for the developmentally disabled. “It’s hard to talk about health care and education without talking about human services, and I’ve been surprised that that discussion has been somewhat off the table.”

He said, however, “I think it’s moving up on everybody’s list.” If advocates keep pressing lawmakers, “whether it’s a flat budget or a budget with some increases, I think we’ll be in there.”

“In many cases,” said Sean Noble, director of government relations for Voices for Illinois Children, “human services individually wind up kind of the victims of their own success.”

“A lot of people do a great job of trying to do a lot with very, very little in resources,” he said. “Through bailing wire and Band-Aid methods, they’re able to keep the doors open for a lot of services … and things can go years and years before the deterioration in quality and access to services really becomes apparent.”

Rep. Mary Flowers, D-Chicago, a frequent sponsor of human services legislation, said even though some of the traditional issues aren’t getting much attention, others such as electric rate relief would help less-fortunate Illinoisans.

“A human service issue is the public utility rates,” she said. “We have to lower those rates because it’s going to have a negative impact on poor people. … I don’t want to say it’s gotten lost. We just haven’t given it the full discussion because what’s impacting the purse right now, and all of the poor people across the state, is the utilities.”

“I’m not letting them get lost,” said Rep. Naomi Jakobssen, D-Urbana, who chairs the House Human Services Committee. “We can’t stop offering the services. We need to make sure we’re taking care of families, we’re taking care of the working people and the children.”

Sen. James Meeks, D-Chicago, chairs the Human Services Committee for that chamber but also is one of the leading advocates for education funding reforms.

“Education funding is what the majority of both caucuses seem to want to center on before we center on a plan for human services or any health-care plan,” he said.

Lawmakers need to “keep putting in requests for things that we think need to be addressed” to ensure that human services issues remain visible, said Sen. Maggie Crotty, D-Oak Forest, the vice chair of the Senate Human Services Committee. “I think we’re not even close yet with the budget.”

“We have a lot good champions in the General Assembly on both sides of the aisle,” said Alice Foss, governmental relations consultant for Don Moss & Associates, which advocates for cerebral palsy interests among other issues.

“But I think that until anybody decides on what the tax plan is going to be — can we really get a tax increase of some kind — they can’t make commitments about what it is.”